I think Nas has earned a top-ranking spot from all true heads by this point. Even though he's never really been in the pocket where we'd like to have him, that's part of what makes him so great: he's finally realized that we just want him to be himself. That's the show we're paying to see. So now that he doesn't have to chase down commercial mirages, maybe we can see some truly good and inspiring stuff come from his camp as he enters the "twilight" of his career. (Though I hope him and Jay both are able to rap well into their 50s if they so choose.)

As for the best, I think Jay ha duped us all into believing that he is for so long now that he actually holds the claim. The man has done some incredible stuff over the course of his career. Give credit where it's due.

Guys like Pac, Big, Rakim are probably the other three safe picks to round out the top five at this point. (Note: This isn't my personal five, more of a consensus.)